PowerPaws
by raccoonqueen
Summary: A teenage girl wakes up 1,000 years into the future, in a world governed by toons. Now a raccoon/human hybrid superhero, she must take the necessary steps to protect Canerica and defeat the evil that harms it! Chapter 7 up.
1. Prologue: The History of Canerica

This is my latest fanfic, called "PowerPaws". It was inspired by the movie "Idiocracy", and this story has a similar plot, except that the world is ruled by toons rather than morons. It's about a 20-year-old girl who gets cryogenically frozen for 1,000 years and wakes up to see that the entire world around her had changed. She eventually becomes a superhero and saves the new world from total danger.

DISCLAIMER: All the cartoon characters featured here belong to the following companies who own them—Disney, Evergreen Raccoons Marketing Inc., Hanna-Barbera, E.T.C. Other characters are of my creation.

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PROLOGUE: The History of the United States of Canerica

For many centuries, thousands of civilizations have competed against one another to be the greatest nation the world has ever known. But in the first years of the 21st century, only one emerged to become top dog of them all...and its name was Canerica.

The United States of Canerica...the most beautiful and peaceful country on the face of the earth...a blessing to all the nations that honor her. For 1,000 years this empire has lived in constant peace and prosperity under the leadership of Bert Raccoon-Canadian cartoon star, actor, entrepreneur, and best of all, the president of Canerica, president for life. And like him, many Canericans believed equality was the answer to life's problems.

It all began in the year 2007, when Canerica was just plain "America". The presidential elections were running hot at the time, and for two terms, President George W. Bush was making life for Americans a living hell. The people were not the only ones to yell for George's head-cartoon and comic strip characters from across the globe were tired of being treated as mere "entertainment" and not as real people. Along with gays, lesbians, African-Americans, Hispanics, and other minorities, the toons protested for equal rights, with the support of their creators, and they vowed that they will not stop unless President Bush either gets off his seat or turns his country around. His response: "Make me!"

Bush's reluctance to leave office did not reach the toons until the results of the voting came in. The winner...Bush himself! The Americans were outraged-not only did he refuse to give up his throne, but he also tampered with the votes and became elected the third time, defying the constitution! This was the last straw, and so the Americans and the toons came up with a four-word plan: "George Bush Must Die!" On the week following the election, they declared war on the Republicans. But then they turned against the Democrats because they found out that old donkey was secretly supporting the KKK's plans to exterminate illegal immigrants. The date was November 7, 2007-Bloody Wednesday!

President Bush and his family were captured and executed, and all hell broke loose. The battle for control of the United States lasted no more than two months, and almost every human, animal, bird, and toon were against each other. Then one day in January of the following year, one of the cartoon stars, who hailed from Canada, stopped the fighting with an idea that could be civilization's only hope: if the laws are changed, peace could rule this land.

His name was Bert Raccoon, a toon from the 1980s Canadian animated series "The Raccoons", who united what would very soon become the new America. One by one, many Americans and toons (and the Canadians eventually) began to agree to Bert's plans to transform the country, renew the laws, and put the troubled past behind them. The people thanked him by electing him as president of the new United States. Then, one month later on February 15, 2008, America and Canada erased their boundary lines and merged together to become a brand-new country-the United States of Canerica was born.

Two new parties were created in place of the extinct Republicans and Democrats-Reds and Blues. Breakthroughs in archaeology of the ancient United States prompted President Raccoon to declare Canerica a neo-80s nation. The fashion, music, television, film, fads, and slang of the 1980s all became part of everyday life, as was 90s culture. The possiblities seemed endless-Superdeer became a hit in thousands of comic book stores, "The Bouncy Poodle Show" became a favorite among kids of all ages, a new kind of language, "Sherlockian", entered Canerican vocabulary, YouTube poop evolved into what we now know as "poop films", and most of the fanfiction on the Internet were turned into feature films and TV shows.

The 1,000-year Golden Age brought about many new changes in government, economy, culture, and the society of the people of Canerica. New foods were created, leading to new restaurants being opened. New inventions debuted, and they made life easier for everyone. And many recent breakthroughs in science, technology, and medicine showed the other side of the U.S. that the nations never knew.

But the greatest thing that President Raccoon had ever done was to bring peace wherever he goes. He was the one who brought all of the troops home from Iraq and declared that crazy war permanently over. And he did something that Bush and other previous presidents had never been able to do: surrender to America's enemies. After signing a treaty with Al-Qaida, its leader Osama bin Laden made a suggestion that in order for peace between the Middle East and the West to commence, Bert's people had to convert to Islam. Only Bert had a different idea: why convert to an old religion when you can create one?

For this reason he gathered together the four major religions of the East-Christianity, Judasim, Islam, and Buddism-to create a new faith, calling it the First Amalgamated Church. In so doing, Bert vowed that he and his allies will not attack Bin Laden's people for as long as his country stands, because he remembered he had also given the Muslims in his country equal rights. He told the militant group about how Canerica was created, and what was it like to be there. Bin Laden was surprised at first to know how much the nation had changed since the last attack, but surely enough he became President Raccoon's personal ally, vowing that he and his men will no longer attack the new nation, and thus once again the bond between the Middle East and the West had been established.

The death and resignation of other world leaders gave Canerica an opportunity to expand its empire without any warfare involved. Why? The nations had already heard of Bert Raccoon and the story of how he convinced Americans to change their way of living. They were very willing to let President Raccoon rule over them, and, well, he did. During that time, Bert eventually became a family man-he married Lisa Raccoon, his long-time sweetheart, and fathered no less than 30 children with her.

But shortly after the founding of the Canerican empire, there was a strange twist to natural selection. Many raccoons from Canada had already emmigrated to the country at the time of Bert's entrance into office, and for many reasons they were more and more capable of interbreeding with humans than other cartoon animals. This led to generation after generation of raccoon-human hybrids being born in Canerica, called Mixers, hybrids who can both understand the raccoon and human languages. And ever since the disbandment of the P.E.T.A., interbreeding was a breeze.

All was well in the United States of Canerica...until evil struck. Bert's wicked cousin Jezebel Raccoon opposed his plan for peace and plotted to return the world to a life of fear by using natural disasters, political upheavals, and spiritual uprisings to bring the empire to its knees. That was her ultimate dream, but it would soon be crushed by a miracle. At that time and place, a young girl woke up after 1,000 years of deep sleep and soon after discovering that the world she had known had changed, she unexpectedly changes into a superhero who would very soon change the lives of every Canerican on Earth. This is the story of...PowerPaws!

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Next Chapter: The legend begins!


	2. Chapter 2: Trapped!

All right...I've finally updated the story. It's been a long time since I've done this, but it's worth it. I based the character "Jennifer" off of myself, but I didn't want to include my last name so my secret identity can't be revealed--the character's last name, instead, will be "Elwood". Enjoy, anyway.

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Chapter 2: Trapped! 

It was just an ordinary day back in the year 2007, where everything was just as bad as it was before Canerica came into being. Here's where our tale begins...

Jennifer Elwood was a 20-year-old girl with an unusual talent that separated her from the rest of the kids her age. She loved cartoons--she can either draw them, see them in books, read comic strips with them, or watch them on TV. She wasn't what everybody would label as "normal".

Most of the time, the whole earth was filled with problems--Arab terrorists were threatening to attack the United States, global warming was putting environmentalists in a tizzy, and there was nothing but civil unrest all around. Gang wars were plaguing the city of Los Angeles, raising mortality numbers up a notch. It all seemed that nobody didn't care about peace any more, despite promises that Hilary Clinton or Barak Obama would take the seat and turn this country around. Everything wasn't just as beautiful as it used to be, and it was all because...of George W. Bush, Texan governor-turned-presidential jerk. He messed it all up with a war against a country that rarely attacked the U.S. at all.

As a lover of cartoons and the creator of all things imagined in her brain, Jennifer was hoping and wishing that one day, a famous cartoon character would become president and that all the toons would be in charge of the world from now on. And as a fan of all things 80s--movies, music, fads, the works--she also dreamed and hoped that a new president would declare his country a neo-80s nation. Growing up in a time when every child's imagination sounded like a joke to the adults, she knew in her heart that those who laughed at her dream would be proven wrong.

However, she didn't stay around to see it all happen, when she and her friends stopped at an abandoned science lab one night. They took a look inside and found thousands of inventions that were never shown or displayed to the public for years. But there was an invention that caught Jennifer's eye...a hibernation chamber.

"Look," she said, pointing to the machine. "A hibernation chamber--I've seen one of those on some sci-fi movies before!"

"Cool," said her friends. Then, Jennifer made a bet that she would soon regret: "I'll bet you a dollar that I can lock myself up in that thing for one minute."

"Oh, yeah?" they said. "Then show us...if you're not chicken enough to do it."

"Okay. But what if I get locked in the chamber for one year, and I wake up to see you guys there?"

"Yeah, like that _will_ happen."

"All right. Help me into this thing, and set it for one miunte. When I wake up after that, I'll come and find you guys outside, right?"

Unfortunately for Jennifer, her friends were troublemakers. They would do anything to play a prank on anyone considered their "friend". So, after putting her into the machine, they put it on "1,000 years" instead of "1 minute". As they ran off, they snickered, "See you soon, Jennifer 'Tiny Toon' Elwood!"

Jennifer waited for a minute before getting out. A minute passed and the door hadn't opened. What had gone wrong? She banged on the window and cried for help, but nobody was there to let her out. It was too late--the machine instantly turned on and froze her in place. And there she was, frozen in time, and as the years whizzed by like a fleeing mosquito, she had no idea that the whole world around her was about to change.

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Next Chapter: Welcome to the future!


	3. Chapter 3: A Stranger in a Strange Land

Chapter 3: A Stranger In A Strange Land

Only 1,000 years had passed and the abandoned building was now renovated into a science lab. Humans and raccoons in lab coats went about their usual business, but only two of the raccoons were standing in front of the hibernation chamber, waiting for Jennifer to awaken from her long thousand-year slumber. The door opened, steam emanated from the machine on all sides, and Jennifer stretched her arms to yawn. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and looked around.

"Hello, fellow newcomer," said the male raccoon cheerfully. "Welcome to the future!"

Jennifer was surprised. She had never been in a place like this before-when she first found the place, it was an abandoned lab, before noticing that it instantly came to life while she was frozen for eons. She then looked at the pair in front of her and gasped in shock. She knew she'd recognize them from somewhere before. Jennifer muttered, "Ralph...and Melissa Raccoon?"

"Yes," said the female raccoon.

Jennifer replied ecstatically, "It's you! From 'The Raccoons'! I had a DVD of that show once!" The raccoons, named Ralph and Melissa, looked at each other and just shrugged their shoulders. They had no idea what Jennifer was talking about. But then, she was curious. She continued, "Where am I?"

Melissa replied, "As a former prisoner of this hibernation chamber for nearly 1,000 years, you have the right to know that you are in the National Institute for Past Figures-the NIPF, if you prefer. Today is January 1st, of the seventh year of the beginning of the 31st century, in 3007."

Jennifer blinked her eyes in confusion. The year is 3007-was she dreaming? She muttered, "You're...you're making a mistake here. I mean, this is still the year 2007, right? There must've been a glitch in the calendar system."

"No," said Ralph. "It's accurate."

"But are you sure?"

"We are. In fact, when we first renovated this science lab, we discovered you inside the chamber and there we began to study you for years and years and years. From that time on, everybody called you 'the unknown stranger'. But when you finally woke up, we found out who you really are."

Jennifer's eyes lit up as she said, "You do?"

Melissa went over to a computer and started typing. Tons of information filled the screen and a picture of Jennifer appeared next to it. Melissa said, "Jennifer Marie Elwood, a 20-year-old female from Los Angeles, California. Is your name 'Jennifer'?" Jennifer nodded. Melissa continued, "All through our 1,000-year study, we researched some valuable information concerning you, including your school attendance records, medical history reports, and your family trees. About your family history, though, this is...amazing."

"What is it?" said Jennifer.

Melissa replied, "You have a very diverse background. Your father was white, your mother was African-American. And what makes it even interesting is that you are mildly autistic."

"Well, that's what I am."

"Welcome to the future anyway, Ms. Jennifer Elwood," said Ralph. "You're one of the 2,978 specimens we've dug up from many different periods of time. There's so much to see and do here in this world, but for the first few days you're going to remain in the lab while we prepare you for life in the year 3007."

Despite the fact that she is already in the lab, Jennifer still wanted to know where in the world she actually is. She asked, "But where am I, _really_?"

"Glad you asked," replied Melissa. They led Jennifer to the elevator and Ralph pressed the button. As the glass doors began to close, Jennifer said, "Where are you taking me now?"

Ralph said, "To the 20th floor. There you'll get a glimpse of the entire city around you."

"Wow," said Jennifer with a smile. "I've always wanted to see the whole world from the top."

Seconds later, a voice in the elevator announced, "20th Floor: View Room." Melissa said, "This is it."

The glass doors reopened and the three stepped out into the room. There were no walls but windows, crystal-clear windows all around. Ralph said, "Jennifer...what your eyes are seeing now is the city of Los Angeles, where we found you. But the whole place isn't what you used to know, save for a few historical sites. And since this is the future, there have been so many technological and social changes you have yet to see and learn. Owing to the absence of street gangs, crime and violence in L.A. and elsewhere is obsolete. So there you have nothing but peace...there's peace everywhere you go. This place you are standing in is now a country filled with undeniable glory. This...is the United States of Canerica."

Jennifer looked around at the city outside. It was indeed very different from her own era-the people looked different, the buildings looked different, and even the cars looked and acted different. The people she saw also wore different clothes-with the presence of leather jackets, miniskirts, and wild glittery hair, Jennifer immediately guessed which decade those weird fashions came from. She was also surprised to see robotic versions of familiar pets such as cats and dogs, as well as real live ones.

"Canerica?" said Jennifer. "But...this is still 'America', right?"

"No," said Melissa. "Canerica is a utopian empire where people of all nations around the world live together under the laws of equality, peace, and prosperity under one president. It is the one true New Jerusalem, and it has been this way for 1,000 years."

"No wars?"

"No."

"Genocides?"

"No."

"Constant threats of a terrorist attack?"

"No. Those enemies are our friends now."

Jennifer moaned in frustration and muttered, "Then I must be _really_ dreaming. I just don't know where I am right now. I'm a stranger in a strange land."

"Hey, no need to pull that Moses bit," said Ralph. "Legend had it that long before Canerica came into existence, somebody wished it."

"I remember that," said Jennifer. "A long time ago I wished that the whole world could be ruled by toons and that people could return to the fashion, fads, music, movies, and other great stuff from the 80s. And I was the one who created famous figures such as Superdeer, Bouncy Poodle, and Sneezy Cat, to name a few. That person who wished Canerica's existence...that was me."

Ralph and Melissa looked at her in shock. Now that she revealed her true identity, they both knew that the person they brought back to life from the hibernation chamber was the creator of everything that was part of Canerican society and culture. She was Jennifer Elwood, the patron saint of cartoons and drawings!

They gasped, "It's you..." Then, they began to kneel down on the floor and prostrated themselves at her feet. Looking at them, Jennifer smiled. She knew she was popular, even in the future.

Back down at the lab, Ralph and Melissa led Jennifer through a series of hallways, until they reached a door with a sign that read "Rehabilitation Hall". Melissa said, "This is where you'll be staying for the past few days before you can enter Canerican society. But we have to warn you, though-in this world, our people are very, very sensitive to the unpleasant odor of the Bush Miasma."

"What's that?" asked Jennifer.

Ralph replied, "The Bush Miasma is a scent carried by those living during the administration of George Bush, the worst president in history. Any Canerican who smells it contracts an uncurable disease that foreshadows the complete destruction of the new world. Melissa and I have already disinfected ourselves before letting you out of the hibernation chamber, so we'll have to disinfect your clothes, too."

"But what will I wear until then?"

Giving her what looked like a hospital gown, Melissa said, "You'll wear this until your original clothes are free of the Bush Miasma."

"Thank you."

Ralph pressed a few number buttons on the pad next to the door. A young female voice said via the intercom, "Yes?"

Ralph said, "You and your brother have a new roommate, Miss Charbonneau. Make sure she feels comfortable when she enters your place."

The door opened and the three went down the hall until they reached a door. Ralph said, "We couldn't give you a room for you to stay in, so we asked two people to share theirs with you."

Jennifer asked, "Who are they?"

"Oh, you'll love them," said Melissa happily. "They're very friendly. And the amazing fact is that they are the children of one of America's greatest historical figures."

"Who? George Washington?"

"No. I'll give you a hint, though: she's a Native American."

"Sacajawea?"

"You guessed it."

They knocked on the door. The door opened and a golden tan female dog wearing a blue dress and white apron peeked out and noticed Jennifer. She smiled and shook her hand, saying, "You're here! Come inside-my brother is dying to meet you!"

Ralph said to Jennifer, "Good luck." Then they left while Jennifer went inside with the dog. Jennifer looked around the room and saw that it had the look and feel of a pioneer home, with a fire crackling in the fireplace. The dog said, "My brother is one of the greatest men in the whole wide world, I'll tell ya. Wait until you meet him! By the way, what's your name?"

"My name's Jennifer," said Jennifer with a smile. "You've got a nice place here."

"Oh, thank you," said the dog. "When we first came to this place, we weren't used to all that technology, so we insisted we live through familiar settings until we can adjust to living in the future. Do you wanna meet my brother?"

"Well, at least you're catching up on modern language skills. I'd like to see your brother, though."

The dog winked at Jennifer, before calling out, "Hey, Pomp! Someone's here to see you!"

Jennifer watched as a male raccoon in deerskin clothes and a coonskin hat walked in. When he stopped to look at her, he had deep grey-blue eyes that gleamed like two clean mirrors. He appeared to be about 30 years old, but to Jennifer he looked much younger than that. The raccoon said gently, "Hello." Jennifer shuddered. His voice had a slight Western accent, like that of a cowboy.

"Oh, uh, hi," said Jennifer nervously. "Nice to meet you."

"You must be new here," said the raccoon. "Are you..."

"Her name is Jennifer Elwood," said the dog. "She's from the 21st century."

The raccoon nodded. He held out his paw to Jennifer and shook hands with her as he said, "Very obliged. Allow me to introduce myself...I am Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau, eldest son of Sacajawea and Toussaint Charbonneau. But everyone here calls me 'Pomp'."

Pointing to the dog behind her, Jennifer said, "But who is this?"

"That?" replied Jean-Baptiste. "Oh, that's my sister Lizette."

Jennifer looked back and saw the dog, named Lizette, smiling and waving "hello". She then said, "But that's impossible. Both of you should've been dead by now, I know that."

Jean-Baptiste shook his head and said, "You are wrong. About a few years ago, Ralph and Melissa dug my body up from my grave in Jordan Valley and brought me here to rejuvenate me. They injected some antibodies to enable me to live up to 200 years or even longer. Then, they went for my sister in St. Louis, and they, too, rejuvenated her. They turned us into animals-I became a raccoon and Lizette here became a dog. If we had been brought back to life like this, we would've lost everything that we knew, but luckily most of our memories are still intact. We were given this room to live in until we are able to get out and explore the new world."

"But was there anything you learned while you were here?"

"A few. Lizette was the first to experience modern-day culture. She bought a book on American slang and learned to speak it in a matter of 30 days. She also learned French, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, and so much more. She even learned to speak no more than 300 kinds of extraterrestial languages."

"She sure _is_ smart."

Lizette asked, "Are you hungry? I have some Spaghetti-Os cooking in the kitchen."

Jennifer nodded and replied, "Yes, please." As Lizette disappeared into the kitchen, Jennifer turned to Jean-Baptiste and said, "Jean-Baptiste..."

"You can call me 'Pomp', if you like," said Jean-Baptiste.

"Oh, yes, Pomp," said Jennifer. "I know from a website back then that you are the son of that Native American woman who joined the Lewis and Clark expedition."

"Ah, Sacajawea...my mother. I remember she always carried me in a papoose-like fashion while on the journey. Even though I was separated from her, I still became devoted to her. But only then I now see her only in my dreams. I wish she was still alive."

"But she is-in the country's spirit."

"But when Clark took me in, I became attached to him, too. He was my best friend...and my father figure. I learned everything that he taught me. Ralph and Melissa told me they'd bring him back to life so he could join us in living in the future, but it still has a long way to go."

"I felt scared when I woke up in the future, too. But...maybe someday, we'll see what the 31st century has for us."

Suddenly, her voice froze in her throat. Did she just say 'us'? Jennifer and Pomp looked at each other and slowly smiled. Even though they were born one century apart from each other, they realized that they were begining to see each other as a very close friend. But then, Jennifer shook her head and said, "Okay, this is weird...but now I have SO much to learn about the future world that is Canerica. You and your sister, too."

"As much as I prefer the wilderness to the fruits of civilization...why, of course. I would love to learn about this country as well. And who knows? Perhaps you'll see something familiar about it that you and I might find quite amusing."

Jennifer smiled. For the first time in 1,000 years, she found someone with whom she had little much in common. Not only did she wake up in a brand-new world, but she also had made two new friends.


	4. Chapter 4: The Big Freedom Day Disaster

Chapter 4: The Big Freedom Day Disaster

It was a lovely Saturday afternoon, three days after Jennifer woke up into the future. She and her new friends Pomp and Lizette were going to learn about Canerica for the very first time.

"Now that you're ready to tour the empire," said Melissa. "We're going to show you the political, social, and technological advances of the United States of Canerica. Of course, you might be confused at first, but when time rolls on, you'll get used to the changes around here."

"Since when Canerica was an 'empire'?" asked Jennifer.

Ralph said, "The president's immediate fame after entering office earned the country dominion over 249 countries of the world."

"Did they ever rebel against him?"

"No--they're his allies."

"Oh."

"However," added Melissa. "Ralph and I are not going to give you a tour for various reasons. As of right now, we're going to assign you to Penelope T. Cat, the guide."

"Isn't she that cat Pepe Le Pew used to chase about and woo all the time?"

"Not any more. After Pepe was given a 10-year life sentence for disobeying the restraining order, Penelope left town and got on with her life on her own. She eventually recieved a job as a guide for the NIPF, specializing in educating thawed historical people."

"Does she have a new boyfriend now that Pepe is gone for good?"

"She does. His name's Snooper."

"Super Snooper?"

"He's a private-eye, and like Penelope, he's also a cat. They're getting married in a few months."

"Wow! Maybe I should congratulate her."

At that moment a female black-and-white cat arrived. She was wearing a lovely pink outfit with matching skirt and a sunhat. After taking one look at her, Lizette commented, "I knew she looked familiar."

"Hello, Ralph and Melissa," said Penelope, shaking hands with the two. "I'm here to pick up the newcomers."

"And right on time, too," said Ralph, looking at his watch. "Five minutes before the next Hoverbus hums by."

"Oh, I don't need that--my fiancé and I are going to take them all across the city while we tell them about Canerica."

"Your hubby-to-be isn't here, is he?" said Melissa.

"Actually," replied Penelope. "He's not. He was over in New York visiting his mother, and he'll be home in the next few days. But until then, I'll show these three around." Turning to Jennifer, she continued, "You look like a very special human they'd love to meet. What's your name?"

"Jennifer," replied Jennifer. "Jennifer Elwood, Ms. Cat."

"Well, 'Ms. Cat' is okay, but I'll be 'Mrs. Snooper' very soon. And they must be..."

Introducing her friends, Jennifer said, "This is Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau, A.K.A. 'Pomp' or 'Pompy'. And that's his sister Lizette."

"Very nice to meet all of you. So, are you all ready for the tour?"

Later, Jennifer, Pomp, Lizette, and Penelope were walking along the street. Penelope was telling them the magnificent story of the great empire: "It all started with a simple dream, with hopes that toons could rule the world and be free to coexist with humans and animals alike. About 1,000 years ago, the country of what we now know as Canerica was ruled by a bitter regime known as the Bush Administration, which has been in power since 2001. It was riddled with embroiling wars, martial law, and the disregard for the Constitution, leading to long-lasting civil unrest. The third re-election of George Bush sparked a wild rebellion of both toons and humans, and became the main cause of one of the deadliest historic events in the empire's history--November 7, Bloody Wednesday. The Bush family was assasinated, but the battle didn't stop there--now that the Bush Administration was eliminated, only one big question remained: who gets to rule over the new-and-liberated America? The battle continued until one day on January 7, 2008, one of the toons stood up and declared that America must be wiped clean from the filthiness caused by the Bush Administration and turn over a new leaf. That creature was President Bert Raccoon."

Jennifer gasped in surprise. She had no idea that her most favorite cartoon character in TV history could be in charge of the whole entire planet. She muttered, "Bert Raccoon...?"

"Yes," said Penelope with a nod. "Bert Raccoon, veteran of the Canadian animated series 'The Raccoons' is the current leader, having ruled Canerica for many, many years. He's going to be here for the Freedom Day festival next week."

"And we're going to meet him?" said Pomp eagerly.

Penelope replied, "Of course. Once every year on Freedom Day, men and women who have been cryogenically frozen for years get to meet the president for the first time, and if any one of them pleases him, he or she will be rewarded with a special gift."

"That's just plain amazing," said Jennifer.

Penelope smiled, before motioning them forward and muttering, "Moving on..." The group followed Penelope all across the town, until they reached a very large hospital. Penelope continued, "Canerica is known for its most recent breakthroughs in medical history. Millions of doctors from all around the world congregate to the country to show off their latest finds that could affect the health and well-being of Canericans everywhere. For example, did you know that the cure for the common cold is acesulfame potassium, a substance found in Coca-Cola Zero?"

"That's riddiculous!" muttered Pomp.

"This is where you are wrong," said Penelope. "President Raccoon was the first to discover the cure and ever since that day, people have kept on drinking Coca-Cola to battle dreadful colds."

"Sorry."

Penelope then led the three all the way to another part of the city. There they came upon the most beautiful church Jennifer had ever seen. A golden Buddha figure was sitting peacefully on the front of the building, with the cross in one hand and the Star of David in the other. Surrounding the Buddha figure from above were an array of stars of all colors, with a half-moon in the middle. Jennifer whispered in awe, "What's...that?"

"That's a church," replied Penelope. "But it's not just any average church you know from your time. It's part of the world's biggest religion--the First Amalgamated Church."

"The First Amalgamated Church?"

"It's a new faith made up of a mixture of the many religions of the world, among them Buddism, Christianity, Islam, Judasim, Hinduism, Taoism, and spiritism. The combination of these religions into one guarantees that in a very diverse world, each person is equal in a special way."

"How many converts of the First Amalgamated Church are there in Canerica today?"

"100 million and counting. And just in case you're wondering, people who practice the faith are called 'Amalgamates'."

"Wow. Whoever created this religion, he must've been so proud."

"You're looking at him."

Jennifer looked in the direction Penelope was pointing to and became surprised. In front of the church stood a golden statue of a familiar-looking raccoon, down on his knees and posing in prayer. Penelope continued, "President Raccoon himself is the founder of the First Amalgamated Church."

"He's a guy of multiple talents, they say," said Lizette.

"Anyway," said Penelope, leading them away from the church. "Despite the many changes to this country, the form of government remains the same--Congress, House of Representatives, the Senate, everything. The only exception is that the Republicans and Democrats of your day are now replaced by the Reds and Blues. President Raccoon is a very loyal Blue."

"Then that means that I might be a Blue, too," said Jennifer.

Penelope smiled and said, "You catch on real quick, Jenny."

Soon, they all returned to the NIPF Headquarters. Now that Jennifer and her friends have been taught everything they wanted to know about Canerica, they would be ready to explore the city all by themselves. Penelope said, "You've learned all that I've told you about the United States of Canerica. You are now free to explore the premises and earn a new identity, but be very careful not to fall into the hands of the evil, relentless Jezebel Raccoon."

"Jezebel Raccoon?" said the three in unison.

"Yes indeed," replied Penelope. "Jezebel is President Raccoon's cousin, a human woman who was adopted into the family when she was really small. What they didn't know is that she was born during a solar eclipse, bestowing upon her a hidden trait--a burning dislike for both animals and humans. As a result, she was Bert's worst nightmare during most of his childhood. Jezebel was responsible for the slaying of more than a million PETA members around the world which, unfortunately for her, was a great boon to the society, allowing animals and humans to crossbreed. She conspired to kill Bert and take over the government, but he found out about it and banished her to Mars. There she rules and forever plots and plans to destroy humanity, even if it takes her 1,000 years."

"Were there any heroes to protect Canerica?" said Jennifer. "Like Superman?"

"There was only one...and her name was Columba. She is a celestial superheroine who favors peace and prosperity and abhors war, racism, poverty, and depression. She was consulted by President Raccoon to take Jezebel away to Mars, but when she came home..."

"She was welcomed by a ticker tape parade?"

"No. She came home...trapped in a snowglobe."

Penelope took a snowglobe out of her pocket and showed it to Jennifer. A tiny female raccoon in pure white detective clothing was screaming and knocking on the glass. Penelope giggled and said, "She's_really_ desperate to get out."

Jennifer had pity for the little raccoon trapped in the snowglobe, but it would be only a matter of time before she gives her a gift she would never forget...

A week passed, and it was now January 7--Freedom Day. Thousands of people watched eagerly from the curbs as a big marching band passed through the street, playing cheerful renditions of classic 80s songs. There were balloons, ice cream, and toys for the little kids to buy and take home. Even a carnival was held at the park down the street with a lot of fun rides and games!

Jennifer and her friends learned that Freedom Day was a holiday to commemorate the birth of Canerica. But what Jennifer really wanted to see was the president, and so she waited and waited and waited, until...

"...And now, folks, here comes the main event, where we get to meet our noble leader, the true thrill-seeker, the peanut butter lover, the one-of-a-kind singer and movie star. Here he is, our pal...President Bert Raccoon!"

The crowd applauded as a red, white, and blue float drifted slowly through the street. And on that float was the star of the parade...Bert Raccoon. Jennifer smiled excitedly at the sight of him, and sure enough, everybody started to sing a bright and playful song.

CUE SONG: "Canerica (The National Anthem)"

_On the 7th day of the very first month,  
This raccoon came to us,  
Telling about a brand-new world  
Where we won't fight and cuss_

_A rainbow appeared right over us  
As we started to make peace,  
Now we've become a united country  
Where we can live at ease_

_Oh, Canerica! Canerica!  
How lovely are your hills!  
Your breathtaking mountains  
And your charm gives us the thrills_

_God bless our president,  
May he always succeed,  
Oh, beautiful Canerica,  
A perfect land indeed!_

The ear-splitting cheers erupted once again as Bert stood up to take a bow and greet his people. He then took a flag (which was a cross between the Canadian flag and the American one) and waved it proudly, showing great loyalty to the nation he helped create. Jennifer couldn't help but wave to her idol, knowing that she might finally meet him.

But her efforts to make her dream come true were interupted when she looked down on the ground. She found a message scrawled in a mysterious alien language. Jennifer tapped Lizette on the shoulder, saying, "What's that, Liz?"

After examining it, Lizette replied, "It's a message written in pure Pavonian. It means...'Watch out for that bomb!'--a sure sign of bad things to come."

"But where did it come from? I never noticed it from before."

Another message appeared. It said, "Would I lie to you?"

They looked up and realized that it was true--peeking out from among the crowd was a man with explosives strapped all over him. It was a suicide bomber, and he was aiming for Bert's float! Jennifer couldn't let that man get away with it, so she decides to jump in to save Bert's life. Running over, she shouted, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

_BOOM!_

There was a loud explosion that literally blew the crowd away. Pomp and Lizette were huddled together to protect themselves from the blast, but at the moment they uncovered their eyes to look around, the devastation was too much to bear. Cars were overturned, floats and balloons were set ablaze, and a hundred thousand marching band members were seriously injured. But the biggest devastation that brought them to a state of shock was this: there lay, at the base of Bert's now-ruined float, was the charred remains of poor Jennifer Elwood.

"Oh, no," Lizette whispered. "It's Jennifer...and she's dead!"

Pomp picked up the corpse and, after taking one look at it, he started to weep. He muttered mournfully, "Jennifer..."

Minutes later, the ambulance arrived and took the body to the hospital. There, doctors gathered around to examine the victim and decide on the solution to revive her. Ralph said to Pomp and Lizette, "We might give it a try at bringing Jennifer back to life, but we promise you it won't be easy. We have to take some neccessary precautions before getting started on restorative surgery."

"But will she ever get her memory back?" said Pomp.

"We're not sure about that," said Melissa. "Sometimes, restorative surgery tampers with the memory functions of the brain--that way, she might not even remember you or anything at all."

"I'd suggest something different," said Lizette. "Like, remember what you did with me and my brother? You rejuvenated us and turned us into animals. Maybe you could do that on her."

Ralph said, "That might be a good idea. But for the DNA needed to restore her, we're going to need a donor to do the job. It could be a giraffe, it could be an ant, or maybe..."

"A raccoon!"

They turned in the direction of the voice they recognized. It was Bert again, this time in a wheelchair with a leg cast. Melissa said happily, "Bert! You're all right! What happened to you?"

"Just a fractured foot," replied Bert. "But there's nothing that can stop me from running this country. I can't believe it--Canerica, attacked for the first time in a thousand years!"

"We're trying to bring Jennifer back to life here, and the first thing we'll need is some animal DNA to combine with hers."

"DNA? Well, I've got a bunch--enough to support just one body."

"And then we'll throw in some superpowers," added Ralph.

"WHAT?" stammered Bert. "Y-y-you're going to make...another superhero?"

"Not just any ordinary superhero," said Melissa. "It's a woman of extrordinary strength, unbeatable speed, and a witty intellect to match."

Grabbing a hypodermic needle, Bert said, "Well...if you say so." Then, he proceeded to stick it into his tail and suck out what appeared to be a dark black liquid. Lizette became sickened at that sight. She shuddered and moaned, "Gross..."

"That's ink," said Ralph. "A toon's equalivent of human blood. Most cartoon characters of Canerica are made of ink, due to their artistic heritage, no pun intended. Bert's ink is just exactly what we need for the medical makeover. We'll mix his DNA with that of Jennifer's, add more from extraterrestials, put it all together, and surprise! We have the first genetically-engineered Mixer in Canerica!"

"Does this mean," said Bert, his eyes lighting up. "That I'm going to have a new addition to my family?"

"Well...sort of."

"In that case, I'd better get home and plan the biggest baby shower in Washington D.C.!"

As Bert rolled off happily, Pomp said, "How long is it going to take for the rejuvenation to be complete?"

"About three months," said Melissa. "If the procedure's successful, she'll be up and running very soon."

Pomp nodded and replied, "Very well, then. My sister and I will be waiting in the headquarters--just let us know if something comes up." And so the two left. Ralph and Melissa looked at each other and winked, before heading for the laboratory to concoct a legend that will change the very course of history.

Next Chapter: A hero is born...well, maybe not literally, of course.


	5. Chapter 5: The Birth of PowerPaws

Chapter 5: The Birth of PowerPaws

Three months had passed since the worst accident in Canerican history. On a beautiful Saturday morning of April, Ralph and Melissa had finished their creation, and now it was locked in an airtight cryogenic hibernation chamber. Looking at his watch, Ralph said, "She should be waking up any moment now, Melissa. We've been working on her for three months and still we don't know if she's going to wake up."

"Bert just called," said Melissa. "He said he'll be here with his family to witness the reawakening."

"His whole family?" said Ralph in surprise. "That's riddiculous. It isn't like a birth or something."

"It might take you a long time to convince them, but from now on, we'll just let them bask into the experience."

Bert came into the room, wearing a pale green hospital gown complete with matching pants and a respirator. Ralph said, "Bert, what are you doing?"

"Getting ready for that magical moment," replied Bert. "I've always brought my whole clan along to the hospital here, and they're very, very, _very_ eager to meet the new member of the Raccoon family. My kids were so excited--in fact, they didn't even know they were going to have a new sibling on the way."

"But they aren't here, are they?"

Bert hesitated for a moment, but then he sighed and said, "They told me they had so many things to do, and that they weren't interested in anything, especially this."

Pomp and Lizette arrived in the room. Pomp looked different--he was not wearing his typical pioneer clothing any more. He was now wearing a neat light brown coat with a white shirt and teal pants. He also had learned to speak American slang, but he always kept his usual mountain man accent. Lizette also looked different, having worn a cute blue jean jacket over her white cotton tank top and a pink knee-length miniskirt. She was also wearing a golden necklace with a heart-shaped locket, a sparkly slap bracelet on her left wrist, and a neat little pink bow on her head.

"Well," said Pomp. "What do you think of our new outfits?"

Melissa commented, "You two look marvelous! Where did you get the clothes?"

"At Macy's," said Lizette. "They're having 60 percent off on these adorable miniskirts!"

"Great."

"But--the birth?" muttered Bert. "What about--"

Ralph said, "It _isn't_ a real delivery, you know. Jennifer will be waking up in about one minute, so it's best you put off that nonsense for a while."

Bert groaned, before taking off the hospital gown and respirator, and putting on his usual red sweater with a yellow "B". Ralph continued excitedly, "Here it is--in ten seconds we'll surprise her. 10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1..."

They shouted in unison, "Welcome to the 31st century!" Ralph added, "Again."

But the figure lay still like a statue--Jennifer didn't wake up. A few more minutes, and still she didn't respond. Pomp said, "She's still out."

"Darn!" muttered Bert angrily. "And just when I was going to appoint her as a heiress to my family fortune!"

"We've tried all we could," said Melissa. "But she's dead, and there's no other way to get her back. So much for failed technology..."

A familiar voice pointed out, "No, it isn't." They turned around and saw Penelope. Standing by her side was a brown cat in a white mackintosh trenchcoat and light-green plaid deerstalker cap--her husband, Super Snooper. Penelope said, "Of course, she may be gone, but we know just one way of sustaining Jennifer."

"With what?" said Lizette.

Holding a small grey box in his paws, Snooper said, "For a long time, people only got blood transfusions from human and animal donors. But this is the first time in medical history that Jennifer will recieve blood donated by something else. In this box contains the ammonia precipitate-tainted blood of the monster Yongary, who according to a 1967 South Korean film died and fell in precisely the same river where I collected the blood, near Seoul. And since the monster lives off on gasoline and oil, it provides the blood with a special super-gene that renders the carrier permanently invincible."

"But that's just fiction!" shouted Alfreda.

"I know it is," replied Snooper. "However, my discovery while on vacation _did_ prove me wrong when I found what looked like a giant skeleton of a reptilian monster embedded in the water, and I was scuba-diving at the time. That was thirty years ago--I preserved the blood so it could be used someday. And as of right now, Jennifer will be its first recipent." He opened the box, which contained a small hypodermic needle filled with a pale-green liquid tinged with red. Then, he walked over to Jennifer's bedside and said, "She might be afraid of sharp objects, but it won't really matter to her when she's asleep." As he said that, he proceeded to inject the liquid into Jennifer's furry arm.

"What are you exactly talking about, Snoop?" asked Ralph.

"Only one thing that we know," replied Snooper with a smile. "We're trying to do Canerica a big favor and provide it with a new hero. But not until she gets acquainted with her new look..."

"And in the meantime," said Ralph, turning to Bert. "You can take her home--if she wakes up, just give her little more time to adjust to being...well...a hero."

Bert nodded, saying, "I'll see to that." With the snap of his fingers, two of his bodyguards went in and carried the body away, while he started to leave the room. On the way back to Washington D.C., Bert sat in a van. He looked at the body. Jennifer was not a human any more--she had been transformed into a raccoon, and Bert was surprised that she looked like a shorter version of his wife. But to him, she looked like the shadow of the past that would soon change the future.

Bert then started to speak to her as if she was alive. He said solemnly, "You may not be human, but even as a raccoon there will be a human personality still remaining inside of you. Now you are a Mixer--a person of mixed raccoon and human blood, with as many amazing superpowers as anyone can imagine. You are our only hope, our nation's secret weapon against that wicked old woman. Because of you...Canerica will be the safest empire on Earth and in the whole galaxy. We'll take you under our wing and make sure you're treated like part of our family. In peace your name is Jennifer Elwood, but in times of danger we will know you by a new name...PowerPaws."

"What's that, Bert?" asked Lisa.

"It's a catchy name," replied Bert. "A perfect name for any superhero who is an animal-human hybrid, a person with the qualities of the two species. Just you wait, Lisa--she will be our greatest treasure forever. Oh, you'll see..."

Next Chapter: A new day...a new identity...and a new lifestyle.


	6. Chapter 6: Getting To Know You

Chapter 6: Getting To Know You

It is very surprising when a common person becomes the first permanent guest at the White House in Washington D.C., but Jennifer learned it the hard way when she woke up in one of its beautiful bedrooms. She hadn't expected to find herself in a place like that, for she only thought that tourists are allowed in the house. She hadn't even expected to look about herself and find that she isn't a human at all. And one look in the handheld mirror was sure to send a chill in her spine.

"Hello, Jennifer..."

At last, she was comforted by a soft and kind male voice. Then, she saw a cat sitting at the edge of the bed. He looked like any other cat Jennifer had seen, but he was different-white fur (with a patch of brown on one of his eyes), light blue eyes, and short yellow hair. And he was wearing a diamond-studded collar around his neck, with a golden star-shaped name tag with an "E" on it. For a moment, Jennifer wasn't sure if she had ever recognized that cat from somewhere in her memories. She asked, "Um...who are you?"

"Who am I?" said the cat, laughing lightheartedly. "Why, I'm Edmond-the family cat. You must be new around these premises."

"Here? In the White House?"

"Well, you're not in somebody's penthouse suite."

It _was_ Edmond, from the animated movie "Rock-A-Doodle". Jennifer was curious about how the cartoon characters have been doing since they were freed from nearly a century of entertaining kids around the world. He was in the movie as a little kid (or kitten?) and now he was a beloved pet of the presidential family. And yet, Jennifer was also very fond of animals-she grew up knowing that if an animal, domestic or wild, liked her, she would be treated like a queen. Jennifer proceeded to stroke Edmond's fur, and he purred contently as she smiled. It was good being an animal-lover.

Suddenly, a young female raccoon came in. She was wearing a pink T-shirt with a blue ankle-length mini-skirt. Spotting Jennifer, she said, "Wow, up already?"

"Oh, yes," replied Jennifer, looking up. "Yes, I'm up. Where's everybody?"

"Dad's in the Cabinet Room and he wants you right now," replied the young raccoon. "Everyone is _so_ eager to meet you."

Jennifer got up from the bed and got dressed. While walking down the hall, Jennifer and the raccoon began to share a pleasant conversation, with Edmond following them. Jennifer said, "What's your name?"

"Cynthia Lorraine Raccoon," replied Amelia. "I'm the oldest in the family."

"You are?"

"Yes. I'm 1,017 years old."

Jennifer was stunned. The girl just only looked 25! She replied, "1,017 years old? But you still look young."

"You better believe it. But still, being the oldest kid in the clan doesn't mean I'm popular-only one of my siblings is my dad's favorite-I'll tell you about him and the others later."

"I understand that your father has ruled Canerica for such a long time. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't a president's term supposed to be four years?"

"No-Dad eliminated that age-old American tradition when he decreed that a president's term in office would be, instead of four years, any amount of years he or she wishes."

"No way! Now they permit females to be presidents?"

"Canerica's not ready for a female president just yet."

Jennifer had only started to notice a large portrait hanging on the wall. In it, there was Bert standing beside a tall and beautiful female raccoon in a wedding gown. She asked, "What is this picture of?"

"Oh, this?" replied Cynthia. "That's Mom and Dad's wedding portrait. It was painted in 2012, although they were actually married just years before Canerica was created. Do you like it?"

"Yeah...that seems...wonderful."

Finally, they came upon the gold-gilt doors of the Cabinet Room. Cynthia continued, "I have to warn you, though-most of the members of his cabinet are mostly cartoon characters like himself. Of course, you're one, too, but remember: as long as you are a human inside a raccoon, you have to know that _they_ have to be treated with utmost respect. Good luck."

Jennifer nodded, and as soon as Cynthia left she entered the room. There sat Bert Raccoon himself, with everyone already seated next to him. Noticing Jennifer, he smiled and said, "Oh, Jennifer! I didn't expect to see you here!"

"You called me?" said Jennifer.

"Yeah!" replied Bert. "Of course, I did! Anyway..." Gesturing his paw towards the cabinet members, he continued happily, "Let me introduce you to some of the greatest people in my administration-and most of them are toons, too."

"Who are they?"

"Well, let's see...to begin with, there's my good old buddy Cedric Sneer, the vice-president."

Jennifer turned to the familiar light purple aardvark and said, "Hello."

"And there's his wife, Sophia," Bert continued. "His son Forest is the Secretary of State. And...over there are my other friends. Here's Brandy Harrington of the Florida Harringtons, ex-superstar of 'Brandy & Mr. Whiskers', and Secretary of the Treasury."

Brandy wasn't paying any attention, as she was busily filing her nails. She muttered nonchalantly, "Hi."

"Spike Bulldog, Secretary of Defense."

"Hello, Jennifer," said Spike, shaking hands with her.

"Fawn Deer, an old flame of Bonkers D. Bobcat, Secretary of the Interior."

"One question, Bert," said Jennifer. "How come her...uh...boyfriend isn't here?"

"He was killed in the Great Hollywood Earthquake of 2035. She's been all over in black ever since."

"Oh..." Jennifer turned to Fawn and muttered, "I feel awfully sorry for your misfortune, Ms. Deer."

"No need to comfort me," said Fawn, wiping tears from her eyes. Her eyes were an attractive shade of hazel mixed with a hint of cinnamon brown. "Bonkers had been my only comfort for as long as I can remember. But...I'll get over it eventually."

"And here's Bugs Bunny, Secretary of Agriculture-I chose him so because he knows a lot about Canerica's economy in the form of food. He's especially fond of carrots, as all rabbits are."

Bugs nodded and said (in his usual Brooklyn accent), "You're right, doc."

Bert then introduced the rest of his crew. He continued, "And there's Mr. Jinks, Secretary of Commerce-Yosemite Sam, Secretary of Labor-Faustine Deer, Secretary of Health and Human/Toon Services-"

"Excuse me, but I didn't know Fawn had someone just like her," interrupted Jennifer.

Faustine looked up at Jennifer and gave her a stern look. If she had known earlier, she was in fact Fawn's twin sister-at least that's what they thought. She looked identical to the adorable toon doe, but she was different in fashion and in attitude. She simply nodded and motioned to Bert to continue the conversation.

"Now, where was I? Oh, yeah...there's Lisa Simpson, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development-and before you start, there's no similarity between my wife and little Miss Simpson here, let alone their shared name. And there's Goofy, Secretary of Transportation-Yakkey Duck, Secretary of Energy-Penelope Cat, Secretary of Education..."

"But I thought she was the guide for the NIPF," said Jennifer. And just as she said that, in came Penelope with a briefcase, walking over to her assigned chair. She looked at Jennifer and winked at her. She said, smiling, "Guide/Secretary of Education-the best of both worlds, huh?"

"Now, before you go cutting me off," concluded Bert. "Let's meet all the rest. There's Sylvester Cat, Secretary of Veterans Affairs-and finally, Porky Pig, Secretary of Homeland Security."

"It's so nice to meet you all," said Jennifer.

Bert continued, "Not yet, I'm almost there. And finally, here is I.M. Weasel, Attorney General for the Department of Justice. And now that you know all of the members of my cabinet, I think it's time for you to know what your purpose is before you get started. First of all, you're..."

"I know," said Jennifer. "I'm a raccoon-human hybrid. I found out myself."

Bert corrected, "You're a Mixer, Jennifer-a person of mixed raccoon and human ancestry. That term could apply to anyone of toon and human heritage, although that's more derogatory than it was 1,000 years ago."

"What do you think I'll do now that I'm a...Mixer?"

"You," replied Bert. "You are a superhero, Canerica's special secret weapon against Jezebel Raccoon, my worst enemy. I had never thought of this, but when I saw you for the first time, I chose you to be the empire's greatest hero in place of poor Columba." He smiled as Edmond meowed and jumped into his lap. Stroking the fur on the cat's head, Bert continued, "In fact, the prophecy dictates that you alone will influence Canerica with your lovable personality, your priceless charm, and your good sense of humor. But there are times when you have to face the many threats to mankind's existence that Jezebel throws at us. And if you do your very best to protect me and my people, you will recieve rewards far more greater than a pile of butterscotch candy."

"I will?" said Jennifer eagerly.

"There's more to that," said Bert. "Look in the mirror-do you see a face that's begging to be shown in the photos on the front page of a newspaper? Not only you'll be a hero, but you'll also be...a star!"

"A star?"

"A superstar, yes!"

"Wow. You know, I had been wanting to be on TV for so long."

"As a Mixer," continued Bert. "You have raccoon and human qualities combined into one. Look at your paws, for example-do you still have five fingers on each hand and five toes on each foot?"

Jennifer looked at her paws and feet, then she said, "Well, uh...yes."

"And you still have those gorgeous brown eyes, huh?"

"Of course."

"And your height..." Bert got off of his chair and walked up to Jennifer. He continued, "When you were a human, you were as tall as any young human would be. Now that you're a Mixer, you're just about my size!"

Jennifer realized that he was right-she was nearly as tall as Bert. She said, "Oh, thank you, Bert. I know I'm going to be a star someday. I'm still curious, though-what led you to creating the United States of Canerica?"

Bert's cheerful expression suddenly evolved into a gloomy mood at hearing the long-debated question that hasn't been answered for the past 1,000 years-only he knows the story behind his country. He said, "Well...it's a story that's as old as time itself, Jennifer. I was one of the many toons from many different walks of life, doing absolutely nothing but entertain and delight children everywhere, just to drag them out of boredom. But for me, it didn't start out that way-in fact, I had to earn it. It all started back in the Evergreen Forest, only several years after the Mount Vulcan incident. I was living a happy life with my friends and family...until I heard about the news that the United States, which was just below Canada, was embroiled in a bloody war. I became determined to stop the violence and straighten things out-needless to say, it worked. So they thanked me by appointing me president of this country...and the rest, they say, is history. So, you see, Jennifer? That's the story of the president of Canerica-me!"

"Hey, nice story," replied Jennifer, smiling happily. "But, if you were born in Canada, why did they pick you to be their new leader? The Constitution says that-"

"Nah, that law was overruled. Besides, I was VERY popular up there and they knew that I'd be destined to be the new hero of this land."

"Then why did you choose me, besides all this 'new hero' stuff?"

Bert sighed, before answering, "You know...I've been a loyal family man, with a wife, 30 kids, and 249 countries to rule over for the rest of my life. But all I wanted was a heir-or heiress, to be exact-to carry on my good name while keeping order in the empire. I wanted to adopt you into our family, to raise you as our own. Why, I'd be like...like..."

"A godfather figure to me?"

"Yeah, like that! From now on, your name will be officially Jennifer Marie Elwood Raccoon."

"Or you could just call me by my original full name, if you like."

Suddenly, a cell phone (with a "Run With Us" ringtone) rang. Bert answered it, saying, "Hello? Oh, hi, Bentley. What's going on? Oh, no...oh, no, that can't be...let me know on the rest of the details when you return...yeah." After pressing a button to hang up, he said, "Bad news, everyone. Jezebel has struck again."

"What did she do this time?" said Yakkey Duck.

"Bentley just called," replied Bert. "He said Katrina had returned."

"Did she strike New Orleans again?"

"No-she hit Miami."

Brandy stood up with a start and shouted, "WHAT?"

"Sorry, Brandy," said Bert sadly. "But your family probably won't live to see your progress."

"What happened?" said Jennifer.

Bert answered, "My cousin sent Hurricane Katrina to destroy Miami, Florida. Next thing you know, she'll be onto us. That was part of the Book of Wicked Prophecies, the book of magic spells Jezebel uses to cast different curses over Canerica. Her curses come in the form of any apocalyptic disaster you can name."

"If that was the first prophecy, what's the next one?"

"Oh, it's very grim indeed, Jennifer. I won't tell it to you, but if that's what you need..." Then, he recited:

_Land of species young and old,  
Two half-breeds to keep and hold._

Jennifer gasped in horror. Pomp and Lizette-they could be the two half-breeds in danger of kidnapping! She whispered, "My friends..."

"I know who those 'half-breeds' are," said Weasel, getting up from his seat. "They used to be the toast of their hometown, but ever since their sudden disappearances nobody has known what became of them. I recall seeing an _Unsolved Mysteries _episode on that..."

"When was the last time they have been seen?"

"Oh, I'm not sure. The last we saw of them was about 972 years ago."

"But where are they? I'll see if I can try to find them myself."

Bert shouted, "Wait!"

"Now what?"

"Before you go," replied Bert. "I want you to know something..." With that, he took out what looked like a silver star-shaped badge with a picture of a clock. He continued, "Do you know what this is?"

"A police badge?" said Jennifer.

"No," replied Bert. "This is the badge representing one of the greatest forces ever to shield Canerica from harm...the Time Toon Cops."

"What are they?"

"The toons who risked their lives through many different periods of time to protect and serve. They come from three distinct categories-TV toons, comic strip toons, and video game all-stars. Their group was founded in 2006, the year before the end of the Bush Administration. At that time, they were a group of cartoon characters promoting freedom to toons and humans everywhere. Led by creator/leader Commander Alexander Armington II, the Time Toon Cops traveled to various parts of the past to save the future."

-"Wow."

Bert continued, "The Time Toon Cops are divided into teams-that is, 20-each with their own unique abilities. It's not only the toons who do it alone, but it's the regulars from the world of live-action films who also join them. They take up more tougher missions than the toons do, and they are well-skilled for their technologically advanced weapons."

"Do they know about Jezebel's threat to destroy peace on Canerica?"

"Oh, you better believe they do, which is the reason why we're going over to the Time Toon Cops HQ, located in the same city my domain is...Washington D.C.!"

"Can I bring my friends?"

"Sure, sure. At least, they'd be part of the crime-fighting experience."

Jennifer smiled. She had been looking for a job that she would adapt to.


	7. Chapter 7: The Time Toon Cops

Chapter 7: The Time Toon Cops

The Time Toon Cops Police Headquarters was the largest building they had ever seen. Most of the police buildings of Jennifer's time were usually smaller, but _this_ place...

"Well, here we are," said Bert. "As far as you will know, the Time Toon Cops Police Headquarters is the biggest police station in Canerica's history. Commander Armington wanted this building to be huge to make enough room for his team and their units. There was the original building for the headquarters once when the Time Toon Cops were founded, but Shag..." He and Sherlock started laughing.

"What's so funny?" said Lizette.

Sherlock tried to hold back his laughter when he replied, "Oh, it's a long story--you'll never believe what Shag did to the whole place. You see, the police station was so small, that at one time Shag thought it smelled like a tree and cleared out the house! Fortunately our boss found out and decided to build another one, only this time it's bigger and stink-proof." He continued, "Anyway, the reason we brought you here is to enroll the three of you into the headquarters. But first, we'll have to get you registered."

Soon, they were waiting in the office of the building. A few minutes later, a sweet young woman in a business suit peeked in from behind the office door and said, "The boss wants to see you."

"Thanks," said Bert and he led his friends all inside.

Once in the office they all sat sat down in individual chairs. A familiar male voice from behind the newspaper said, "Are you new recruits for the Time Toon Cops team?"

Jennifer muttered shyly, "Well...uh...yes..."

With the newspaper folded up and placed on the desk, she knew exactly who the boss was. It was a young male fox in a tuxedo, with a top hat and red bow tie. He said happily, "Welcome to the Time Toon Cops Police Headquarters, saving the world from the past to the future since 2006. My name is Tempus Temporis, better known to most admirers of folk music as 'The Highly Educated Man'. And what can I do for you today?"

"We came to sign up here, sir," said Pomp.

Upon recognizing Bert and Sherlock, Tempus smiled and said, "Raccoon, Fox! Great to see you two back here again. I believe you brought these three recruits to the station, huh? What are their names?"

"Oh, you'll love them," said Bert. "They have a brilliant personality. This is Jennifer Elwood, and those are her friends Jean-Baptiste and Lizette Charbonneau."

"Jennifer Elwood...Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau...Lizette Charbonneau...are they, uh, cousins?"

"No," said Lizette. "I'm his sister, he's my brother. We're siblings."

"Siblings, all right. Age?"

"20," said Jennifer.

"30," said Pomp.

"25," said Lizette. "I'm five years younger."

"Place of birth?" asked Tempus.

"Lynwood, California."

"Fort Mandan, in North Dakota. Or in that case, present-day Bismarck."

"St. Louis, Missouri."

"Interesting," said Tempus. "Okay...tell you what--next to Socrates, you are the most remarkble group of people I've ever met. In fact, you might be able to come in handy one day. I'll alert Rufus and Amberley on this."

"I know who they are," said Jennifer. "They're from _The Dreamstone_, right?"

"Exactly, and they work here as trainers and teachers for the Time Toon Cops." With that, he blew a whistle and two odd creatures came in, a male and a female. Their fur was lightly brown (with a light tan around their mouths), had ears like rabbits, orange hair, and tiny brown horns. Tempus said to the creatures, "These three new recruits, Elwood and Charbonneau by name, will need some specific care and training while they are preparing to become part of the Time Toon Cops Headquarters. Make sure they're catching up on all the details and see that they have the proper uniforms available."

Soon they were all in a large room where thousands of cartoon characters had gathered. Amberley said, "Well, here we are--the heart of the Time Toon Cops Headquarters. In here you'll get to know all the famous toons, as well as some new picks from the crop."

Jennifer immediately recognized every cartoon and video game character in the room: Tiny Toons, Sonic Heroes, Rescue Rangers, Bonkers (without the poor bobcat), Bucky O'Hare and his crew, Star Fox, Brandy and Mr. Whiskers, TailSpin, Road Rovers, Ms. Brisby and her children (Ms. Brisby was the medical nurse for all the teams), Lilo and Stitch, Conker and his friends, Animaniacs, All Dogs Go To Heaven, Pound Puppies, Care Bears, Darkwing Duck, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (also known as TMNT). Her past had completely unfolded before her eyes.

Bert clapped his paws to silence the overlapping conversation. He then said happily, "Hello, fellow toons of the force!"

"HI, BERT!!" everyone in the room shouted jubilantly. Only Jennifer knew that, since he had been the veteran of the force for some time, Bert was a favorite of the Time Toon Cops gang.

Two little bear cubs, Kit Cloudkicker and Molly Cunningham, ran up to Bert and gave him a big hug. Molly said, "It's so great to see you back again, Uncle Bert. We thought we'd lose you after that dreadful Freedom Day disaster."

Kit added, "And you came through!"

Ms. Brisby's kids also ran over to Bert. Martin, Teresa, Cynthia, and Timothy, they all gathered around him like a flock of kids surrounding the ice cream man. The puppies also ran in, barking happily. They shouted excitedly, "Uncle Bert! Uncle Bert! Uncle Bert!"

Cynthia chirped, "Uncle Bert's home!"

Bert chuckled as he hugged the kids back, telling them that he missed them so greatly. He said, "It feels so good to see you kids here again. After all, what would it be like if I weren't alive just to give you a horseback ride to the fun express!" With that, he piled all the children on his back and he started galloping around like a horse while the kids squealed and laughed with glee. After setting the kids back down, he turned to Ms. Brisby and asked, "Are you sure my leg's recovering correctly?"

"Well," said Ms. Brisby. "It should be back to normal in a matter of weeks, but you'll get by."

"You sure are a cute little bunch," said Jennifer to the kids. "But tell me something--why do you call him 'Uncle Bert'?"

Teresa answered, "We call him 'Uncle Bert' because he was the local teacher for the Time Toon Scouts."

"He loves to play with us," said one of the puppies.

"He'd tell us lots of stories," added Whopper (the littlest Pound Puppy).

Cynthia piped up, "And he'd teach us how to be cops and, and since he's president now, he makes sure none of us gets into all sorts of trouble."

"Speaking of trouble," said Sherlock, looking around. "Where's Levania?"

Jennifer's ears pricked up to the name. She thought Sherlock was mentioning his secretary, a new sidekick, or probably his girlfriend. But no, it wasn't any of those three possibilities...a small girl of about six walked into the room. She looked exactly like Sherlock--as a matter of fact, she dressed like him, too. The only difference is her light reddish-brown hair and her gentle chestnut-brown eyes that gleamed like two swimming pools. Buckled on her feet were a pair of black mary-jane shoes, all shiny and without a single scratch. She carried in her right paw a picture of an unfinished rainbow and a box of crayons in her left paw. The young girl appeared to be crying.

"Oh, there you are," said Sherlock. "What's the matter?"

Wiping a tear away with the sleeve of her coat, the girl sobbed, "Somebody stole a purple crayon from me, Daddy..."

"When?"

"I was trying to draw a rainbow to put on Uncle Bert's fridge."

You would've guessed that Martin indeed stole the purple crayon, as he was struggling to hide it in his backpack. Sherlock smiled and said, "It's all right, Levania. I'll buy you another box of crayons and then you can finish your rainbow."

"You will?" said the girl, her eyes lighting up. "Thank you!"

Lifting the girl up into his arms, Sherlock proceeded to introduce Jennifer, Pomp, and Lizette to her. He said, "Guys, I would like you to meet our most cherished good luck charm...my daughter, Levania Eldona Marjorie Fox."

"Why, hello there," said Jennifer with a smile.

"Hello, sweet little muffin," said Pomp. He pat her gently on the head, but to his great surprise, Levania grabbed the collar of his shirt and replied with a snarl, "Call me 'sweet little muffin' one more time, and you'll regret it!"

Pomp muttered to himself, "Whew! That's some wild girl you've been raising!"

Sherlock laughed, "She's a tough cookie, I know that. I guess you're wondering which side of the family she got all that witty personality from! Of course, she's a mixed breed."

"Like me!" Jennifer brightened up. She asked, "But...what's her ancestry?"

"Oh, that's easy," answered Sherlock. "Through her maternal line is a steady hint of human blood. Through me, however, is a mixture of vulpine parentage, good old English descent, as a matter of fact."

"I was Irish," muttered Jennifer under her breath. She continued, "But what about her personality, then?"

"That's a good question," said Sherlock. "Levania's such a feisty little girl for her age. Even though she's only six, she has just about enough energy to pummel Muhammad Ali."

Just as he said that, Levania had gone over to interrogate Martin, the little crayon-stealer. She growled, "Martin, did you steal my purple crayon?"

Martin stammered fearfully, "N-n-no! Whopper's got the crayon, not me!"

Whopper, overhearing the accusation, ran over to Martin and said, "How could it have been me? I had a yellow one!"

"Liar!"

Levania barked, "No! _You're_ the liar! YOU stole the purple crayon! I know you're trying to fool me!" She pointed to his backpack, with the purple crayon still sticking out of one of its pockets.

Martin retorted, "Says who?"

"ME!"

With that, she punched him square in the nose. Soon, the two kids started to fight. Mrs. Brisby ran over and managed to separate them. She said sternly, "That's enough, you two. You've been fighting almost all day." To Martin, she said, "Give Levania her crayon back, sweetheart."

Martin groaned in frustration, before saying half-heartedly, "Yes...Mom." He reached into the backpack, took out the crayon, and gave it to Levania, who snatched it away and stuck out her tongue at him.

Jennifer was astonished at the little girl's violent antics. However, she was skeptic. She said to Sherlock, "I'm still not buying it."

Sherlock snapped, "Don't believe me, huh? Then I'll tell you that it wouldn't be possible for her to exist if I hadn't met the most beautiful woman in the world, the love of my life..." He sighed contently, before whispering, "...my wife, Eldona."

Jennifer was in shock. How could a fox like Sherlock be married to a human woman? She chose, however, not to hurt his feelings and ask him about how he and the woman met. He drew a deep breath, before begining the biggest story in his lifetime.

"It all started back ten years ago," Sherlock recalled. "I was driving through the streets of New York City, minding my own business. And before I knew it, I took a wrong turn and ended up smack-dab in the middle of the worst car accident in history. My car was a complete mess, and everybody knows I wouldn't be seen in a car that's been totally wrecked. So, to avoid further embarrassment, I took it over to the nearest auto repair shop I could find. And that's where I met her."

"You met Eldona in an auto repair shop?"

"She was a mechanic. I had started to pull my car into the garage when I first laid my eyes upon her. She was a winning sight in a red oil-stained apron, a wrench in one hand and an oil can in the other, and those lovely teal-green eyes and her beautiful red hair. I didn't mind falling in love with a tall, ugly giant of a woman like her. So, one thing led to another, and finally, I had the courage to ask her for her hand in marriage. And you'll never believe how I did that--I actually convinced my parents that she was a noblewoman, descended from one of the richest families on the face of the earth. When they noticed her true identity, they were shocked. They were never used to having their children marry people of an inferior species, but then they relented and decided to give me their blessings. We were married on a cool summer evening, and there was a huge party that followed after that...it was a lot of fun. So, Eldona and I spent the rest of our lives as a happy couple together, living in a comfortable little mansion next to my office. Eventually, our daughter was born. She was the most beautiful child we ever had...and we always did our best to protect her from harm. She was our special treasure. And since she was born at sunrise, we aptly gave her the name 'Levania'. We thought the name would fit her quite nicely."

"And it does," commented Jennifer.

Rufus then showed up. He said, "Amberley's in the Training Room on the 3rd floor of the headquarters, and she will be waiting for you in due time. Are you ready for your first challenge?"

Jennifer looked at her friends for a moment, before replying confidently, "I am."

Next Chapter: Someone (or something) is following the Time Toon Cops--you'll never believe who it is!


	8. Chapter 8: Swine Spies

Chapter 8: Swine Spies

"Is there anything else we want to know about the headquarters?" asked Jennifer, as Rufus led them through the hallway.

"The Time Toon Cops Headquarters," answered Rufus. "Has over 30 rooms, made exclusively to serve the purpose of protecting Canerican communities around the world, from ancient times to the present. In this tour, however, I'll only show you several centers that might be of interest to you..." They arrived at the doors of the elevator at the end of the hall. Rufus pressed a button and the doors opened to let him and the others in. The elevator then took them to the 2nd floor.

As soon as they got out, Rufus led them to a room full of computers, TV screens, and telephones. Numerous toons were on the computers. Some were talking on the telephone and working the operator lines. Still others are watching the TVs for signs of any possible intruders.

"This is the Communication Room," he continued. "In here, we recieve emergency calls involviong many sorts of crimes in various time periods. If an alarmed witness sees a certain someone commiting an atrocity, he or she knows exactly what number to reach us."

"This is so amazing!" said Jennifer, looking around. "It's far more different than the communication rooms I know in my time."

Rufus then led them to another room. In the room, storage bins lined every wall and they were stuffed with various folders and pictures. In one corner, Snooper was busily typing on a computer.

"And here is the Criminal Records Center," Rufus went on. "We call it by a very well-known acronym--CRC. In here, we gather tons of information on wild, crazy, and downright villainous evildoers, as well as their heinous crimes. For example--in Storage#8, we have the complete details on the Rescue Rangers' enemy, Fat Cat, whose crime, let's say, is the attempt to steal the royal crown jewels in London, England." He walked over to Snooper and said, "Snooper, I would like you to meet these new--"

Snooper pushed away Rufus' hand, saying, "Not now, Rufus, I'm working on an important document here."

"But these recruits..."

"I'm not interested in new recruits," Snooper continued. "Could you just do me a favor and...oh, all right..." He heaved a sigh, before turning around to face Rufus and the others. Jennifer could've sworn she's seen that cat before. She said, "Super Snooper...?"

"That's me," Snooper answered cheerfully. "Super Snooper of Snooper Detective Agency, where the end of the street meets the beat!"

"Um, Snoop," said Sherlock, shaking his head. "First of all, you don't own a detective agency any more."

Snooper replied, "Who says I don't?" Turning to Jennifer, he continued, "And you must be the new recruits for the Time Toon Cops Headquarters."

"It's nice to meet you, Snooper," said Jennifer, shaking his paw. "My name's Jennifer, and these are my friends Pomp and Lizette Charbonneau."

"Oh, of course, the Charbonneaus. I knew I had heard that name before. Let me guess...the father was part of Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery...a French-Canadian trapper...trader..."

"That's my pa," said Pomp, smiling eagerly. "He goes by the name 'Toussaint Charbonneau'."

Snooper laughed and replied, "No wonder I recognized your family name! So, what can I do for you?"

Jennifer was about to ask about the CRC when Rufus cut her off and said, "We're just giving the recruits a tour of the headquarters, Snooper. There will be no time for interviews." Then, he ushered them away. Snooper just shrugged his shoulders, took another sip of his Starbucks coffee, and continued to carry on his work.

Later on, Rufus led them to another room, which looked like a cross between a garage and an airport hangar. Rufus continued, "We're almost nearing the end of the tour, so this will be the last room we'll check out before we head on over to the Training Room. And this room is called the Garage Center. Almost every kind of car from our teams is stored in here--this is where you'll find the Care Bears' car and the arwings of the Starfox crew, among many others. And if that's not cool enough, in here you'll also find the famous Time Toon Cop Vans--20 of them for the original crews and the additional one, the 21st van, for the Misfit crew."

"Which Misfits?" asked Jennifer. "Is it a rock group or a name for a different kind of group?"

"It's for those who don't fit in the usual cartoon and video game categories," replied Rufus. "Hence the term 'Misfits'. Sherlock, Amberley, and I rode that van to every mission we accomplished."

Jennifer looked around at all the vans in the Garage Center. Each van was painted a sparkly white, with the prominent Time Toon Cops symbol on each side, as well as the numbers to distinguish one van from another. She said, "Whoever created those vans must be some kind of a genius. Besides, where's the mechan--" Suddenly, she happened to trip over a pair of two small legs (with black feet) under one of the vans. She fell to the ground with a scream and landed flat on her face.

A young male voice, like that of a 10-year-old kid, said, "Sorry about that. I'm not very used to keeping both feet out of the way when it comes to growth spurts." And just like that, a small young male raccoon in a blue button shirt slid out from under the van and stood up to see Jennifer. His face was covered in a mixture of grease and motor oil, but Jennifer didn't seem to mind it a bit..if you can mention the smell.

Introducing the young raccoon, Rufus said to Jennifer, "This is Bentley Raccoon. He's the mechanic for the Time Toon Cops, in charge of repairing many of our vans."

"And that flying fox with two tails working on the the engine," said Sherlock. "He's Miles Prower, alias Tails, companion of Sonic and inventor for the Time Toon Cops."

Tails peeked out from behind the hood, and noticed Jennifer and her friends. He smiled and said, "Oh, hi, Bert! Hi, Rufus and Sherlock!" He flew over to Bentley's side. Rufus continued, "Bentley, Tails, this is Jennifer Elwood, of Lynwood, California. Over here with her are her friends, Jean-Baptiste and Lizette Charbonneau." Pomp groaned. Had Rufus forgotten about his beloved nickname?

"Rufus," Jennifer reminded him. "His name is 'Pomp'--he prefers to be called by that name."

"Oh, sorry, Jennifer. I didn't even realize that..."

"Nice to meet you, Jennifer," said Bentley, shaking hands with her. "Are you new around here?"

Jennifer answered shyly, "Well...uh...yes. Sort of."

"Is there anything else you want to know?" asked Tails.

Jennifer hesitated for some time, before replying, "You can, at least, tell me about those vans. You know...the ones the Time Toon Cops drove in?"

"You'll be glad you asked," said Bentley. "These vans have everything a police officer can dream of--radars, high-tech gadgets, GPS tracking, the works. And besides, they're not just ordinary vans--they're time-traveling accessories! Come on, I'll show you..." He took them over to the van he and Tails was working on, and once inside he began to explain the time-travel configurations. "If you're familiar with the 'Back to the Future' movie franchise, perhaps this will jog your memory a notch. The controls are an essential part of time-traveling. The target dates are separated into three eras--the past, present, and future. And here are the buttons designed for you to put in the date of the era you want to be in. Let's say you want to witness the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia--the target date, for the past, is then precisely July 4, 1776. Or suppose you want to meet Elvis, so you put in any date set in the 1950s or 1960s. And just like the DeLorean time machine in the movie, all the vans are operated solely on plutonium--heck, we don't even use that weapon for warfare any more."

"But how can these vans simply travel through time?" asked Lizette.

There was silence. Then, Bert said, "Well, Albert Einstein could've easily answered _that_ question. You see, the problem with these vans is that if we all squeeze into any time portal at any given time, we'd be goners by then without realizing that time portals are made up of a mixture of electricity and atomic neutrons. And if that happens, history as we know it will be thrown into a turmoil. So, just to play it safe, we all wear time belts. They are special belts that serve a dual purpose--to keep us alive during the trip through the time portals and preventing the fracturing of the time-space continuum."

"So those belts prevent you from messing up history and dying at the same time?" said Pomp.

Levania answered with a nod, "Of course!"

Jennifer had once heard of time portals, long before she ended up in the future. In an online comic she used to read, there were only two kinds of time portals--one that leads to the human world and the other into the animal world. The animals who traveled through the portal into the human world became humans, and the humans in the animal world turn into animals themselves, except if they're hiding in something that prevents the transformation of animals into humans or humans into animals. But now that she's in the future (i.e., the year 3007), the kind of time portals Bert was telling her about were much more different from those of the online comic. Or so she thought.

She asked Sherlock, "I already know about time portals, but do you know who discovered them?"

"Why, Commander Armington's dad did," replied Sherlock. "Back in 2002, the Golden Age of toon presence in the human world."

"But if he did discover them, perhaps you can tell me how the toon race came into existence in the human world, and how they influenced its history."

Bert, Rufus, Sherlock, Levania, Tails, and Bentley stared at Jennifer in shock. It was a story only Commander Armington and his family knew. And in case she didn't know better, nobody _even_ dared to ask Commander Armington to tell him or her how the early history of Canerica got started.

"It's a secret, Jennifer," said Tails. "Commander Armington doesn't want anybody to learn of Canerica's secret past. He asked Bert to replace it with a story about the creation of Canerica, an empire born of bloodshed, political turmoil, and eventual lasting peace."

Just then, Rufus looked at his watch and gasped. He said, "Oh, no...it's the end of the tour and we're already LATE! We have to get on over to the Training Room...and _FAST_!" And they all ran off to the Training Room, which was right next door to the Garage Center.

The Training Room, located on the 3rd floor below the building, was a built-in gymnasium. Exercise equipment was everywhere--weights, flywheel bikes, punching bags of different sizes, and virtual reality rooms and shooting galleries as well. Jennifer, of course, knew almost every gym well. Back in high school, she loved to show off by proving she's the strongest girl alive. "_I wonder if the superpowers they implanted in me include super strength,_" she thought.

That's when she noticed Amberley in the corner of the room, knocking and kicking a large punching bag around. She went over to her and said, "I guess you guys really had a way of working out."

Hearing that comment, Amberley stopped punching the bag and turned around to see Jennifer. She said happily, "Why, Jennifer! I never thought for the first five minutes that I'd expect you to show up in here! Welcome to the Training Room."

"This whole place is just like a high school gym," Jennifer said, looking around. "Only that it's bigger and more high-tech than ever before! Oh, I think I'm going to love the future..."

"Would you like to meet Candy, our personal trainer?"

"Candy? Who is she?"

Amberley pointed to another section of the room, where Jennifer saw a pretty young female fox. She had bright pink fur, golden yellow hair, and clear blue eyes. She also wore a stonewashed jean jacket (with a red T-shirt), a blue satin silk skirt that reached down to the knees, and a yellow hibiscus flower inserted in her hair. Judging from her quick moves, she was probably practicing martial arts.

Sherlock said, "Candy Fox is my niece, an expert in martial arts, 20-time running track champion at the Canerican Olympics. She's the Time Toon Cops' personal trainer."

Jennifer watched in awe as Candy proceeded to perform her routine. She shifted into a right-foot stance, most of her weight on her forward foot, knee bent, did the windshield-wiper-like two-handed block to control the center, left, right, then shot her right elbow upward in a short, tight strike to an imaginary opponent's head. She slapped the elbow with her left hand to simulate the hit, slid the left hand under the right arm, where it stood ready to sweep away an opponent's return punch, the shot the straight right and left punches that followed.

As soon as she was done, a black-furred squirrel with glowing yellow eyes said, "Nice moves, Candy. With a technique like that, you'll definitely knock the bad guys down."

"Thanks, Razor," replied Candy, wiping sweat off her brow. "It took me ten weeks to get the whole thing right."

Continiung her exercise, Candy did the left punch and chambered thar arm by her hip, then stepped forward with her left foot, to mirror the moves she'd just done. "_Right out of a bad action movie_," Jennifer thought.

"Candy," said Sherlock. "This is Jennifer. She and her friends are signing up to be the new recruits for the Time Toon Cops."

Candy stopped her exercises to look at Jennifer, who smiled nervously and said, "Hi..."

"You're the new kid?" asked Candy, her blue eyes glaring.

"Yes," answered Jennifer. "Yes, I...am."

"I never saw the likes of you before."

Jennifer was stunned. Of course, everybody knew her, even in her own time! She said, "You just saw me. Your uncle introduced me to you, and--"

"You're just new, that's all," replied Candy. "I've seen many new recruits who try to prove that they're the strongest by taking on me."

"Well, I can."

"Oh, yeah? I'd like to see you try."

Jennifer wanted to prove that she's a great fighter. She began to ball her fists up and circled around Candy, in hopes that she could punch her. She finally did, but Candy just laughed. Sherlock said, "Jennifer, don't do this. I know her far more better than you do."

"Don't be silly, Sherlock," said Jennifer, as she continued throwing punches. "Have I ever seen a boxing match before? With this girl, this could be as easy as..."

Before she could say anything else, Candy took hold of Jennifer's arm and held it tight. She glared into her face and growled, "You heard what Uncle Sherlock said. Nobody--and I mean NOBODY--dares to take me down." And with that, she flung Jennifer all the way to the wall and slammed her against it. Then, she walked away. Her friends came over, just to see her fall onto the ground. Pomp said, "Jennifer, are you all right?"

"Could be better," muttered Jennifer. Dazed, she shook her head, and got up to dust herself off. She continued, "So long as she doesn't break any more of my bones."

"If you want to train with her," said Amberley. "You'll have to come back tomorrow when she's in a lighter mood. The reason she's so tough with you is that she and her boyfriend broke up last night."

"Oh, now I understand."

Soon, Jennifer, Pomp, and Lizette were back in the office. Rufus said, "Now that the tour's finally over, I want you to know just one more thing. As far as you will know, we have a penchant for the code of silence--that is, we don't reveal our secret missions to anyone outside our group. If there's one thing that we detest the most in this free world, it's the spies."

"Spies?" said Jennifer.

"That's right," said Tempus. "The spies could be representatives of any evil organization that plans to disrupt the Canerican way of life. Or, they could be anyone that plans to take over the world by force."

"Wasn't Al-Qaida an evil organization? In my day, it was."

"Not anymore. When we won the War on Terrorism, the leader made a promise that as long as this country stands, he and his soldiers will never attack us. And they have been our eternal allies ever since."

"Well, that must've been an extraordinary way to make friends."

Unbeknownst to everyone in the room, three pigs were peering through the glass window outside. With their ears perched against the pane, they eavesdropped on the information Tempus was passing down to Jennifer and her friends. One of the pigs, named Boyd, whispered, "Is he getting to the part where he talks about the plan to protect the president?"

"Not yet," replied the other pig, named Floyd. "But I have a hunch that he's talking to some strange new recruits. Whoever they are, they must've come out from somewhere."

The third pig, named Lloyd, said, "Shh! Listen! I think he's going to say it..."

Inside, Tempus continued, "Your new job will be to shield all of Canerica from anything that intends to harm to country--even the spies that we told you about. And of course, you'll have to protect President Raccoon, too. The public depends on us to protect and serve, and we're the kind of police force to do the work. In conclusion, I'd like to say..." He looked at Jennifer, a thoughtful look in his eyes. He then asked the one question she had been hoping to hear: "Are you ready to accept your new job as officers of our department?"

Jennifer replied shyly, "Uh...yes." She turned to look at Pomp and Lizette, and wondered if they were ready to accept the new job. Pomp said, "I'm ready."

Lizette shook her head and said nervously, "Not me. I have qualms about the use of violence."

Tempus looked at the three friends for what seemed like a minute. Then, he said, "Elwood and Charbonneau...you're in."

Everybody cheered, as Jennifer and Pomp smiled. Tempus continued, "I think you two are ready to take the oath. Where's the manual?"

"Here!" said Levania, holding up a large blue book. Jennifer was confused. She said, "I thought you was going to use the Bible. Many officials use it when they get sworn in."

Bert answered, "I almost forgot to tell you--I made up a law that says that instead of the much-loved Bible, we could swear on any kind of book. That way, everybody is free to join in without obeying the same old rule."

"But we all have to obey the rules here, don't we?"

"As long as this empire stands in peace and happiness, of course, we have to obey rules. There may be some guys out there who refuse to submit to authority, but they'll regret it later on in life."

Jennifer smiled. As soon as she put her right paw on the book, and Tempus said, "Now, repeat after me: I, Jennifer Marie Elwood..." Jennifer's body trembled. She was nervous--she had never taken an oath in front of everybody in the office. She muttered, "I, Jennifer Marie Elwood..."

"Do solemnly swear..."

"D-d-do solemnly swear..."

"In the name of all that stands for peace in the empire of the United States of Canerica..."

"Can we just get this over with? I'm dying out here."

Everybody laughed. Tempus said, "Sorry, Jennifer. I didn't know you'd be _that_ nervous. Okay, can we start over from the--oh, never mind. Go on."

Jennifer took a deep breath, and continued quickly, "I promise to fulfill all the duties of a Time Toon Cop, to protect and serve, uphold all rights, blah-blah-blah, and so on..."

Tempus laughed, slapped Jennifer on her back, and said cheerfully, "It looks like we have a really determined police officer here! Congratulations, Jennifer and Pomp! Welcome to the force!"

They cheered again. Jennifer smiled. After 1,000 long years, she finally got her first job. And so did her new friend. The pigs outside were astonished. Lloyd said, "Wow! That girl over there is a new Time Toon Cop?"

"I guess so," replied Floyd. "And so is the guy beside her. They're both new officers. I wonder what they're going to do next?"

The pigs stood motionlessly behind the windowpane, wishing and hoping that they'd never be spotted. Suddenly, Lloyd sneezed. All at once, the cops stopped cheering. Jennifer's ears perked up to the sound. She whispered, "What was that?"

"I don't know," said Sherlock. "But I think it's coming from outside."

Levania walked around the room, sniffing the air and the ground. Just then, she stopped in her tracks, looked at the window, and snarled. She muttered, "Spies..."

"Where, Levania?" asked Sherlock. In an instant, Levania started barking and ran out of the door of the station. Everybody followed her. By the time they came to the alley, she had already chased the pigs away. Levania shouted, "Spies! Intruders! Enemies! They've been watching us!"

Jennifer looked up and saw the pigs running off in the distance. She said, "Those spies were pigs."

"I remember those guys," said Bert. "They used to work for that old aardvark Cyril Sneer. I don't know what happened to old Hose-Nose, but I think he must've fired them shortly after I became president."

"Then why were they spying on us?"

"I have no ordinary idea, Jennifer. They've been doing that to us ever since our police force was established."

"Who do you think they work for right now?"

Bert replied ominously, "They are in league with my cousin. I knew she was up to no good. They were spying on us so they could steal our information to pass on to her." He looked around, before continuing, "Maybe we should watch ourselves from now on."

"You're right, Bert," said Jennifer with a nod. "This world still have criminals crawling around. Even those spies."

Back at the White House, Bert had resumed the cabinet meeting. Brandy asked, "So, how did it go?"

"Wonderful!" said Bert. "Jennifer and Pomp were sworn in as new members of the Time Toon Cops."

"Well, that's some good news," said Fawn. "We couldn't wait to see her."

Sherlock said, "I provided her with the new uniform."

"What? A new uniform?"

"You'll see."

At last, Amelia peeked in from behind the door. She said, "Jennifer's all dressed up now, Dad. Are you ready to see her?"

"Go ahead!" Bert replied excitedly. "Bring her in!"

Amelia nodded and went back behind the doors. A few seconds later, Jennifer came back in. She was now wearing a detective suit with a flowing blue skirt, and a matching cape and deerstalker cap. The cabinet members were astonished. It looks like the female version of Sherlock's own suit!

Looking over herself, Jennifer asked, "Does this cape make me look fat?"

"No, Jennifer," answered Sherlock. "I gave you this special detective suit, just after we left the Time Toon Cops Headquarters." He added mournfully, "Someone famous used to wear them."

"Who?"

"A guy who also had the name of 'PowerPaws'. He's dead now, and my wife altered the suit to accommodate your size and gender."

"But what about Pomp? Will he be wearing a detective suit, too?"

Bert replied, "No--he'll be wearing a normal Time Toon Cops uniform, which looks pretty much like the uniforms the police wore in your time."

Jennifer looked over herself once more, and smiled. She said, "Gee. I really am going to enjoy the future. What do you think?"

The cabinet members smiled and gave her a thumbs up. Fawn said, "I'm sure you'll make a great police officer, Jennifer."

"And best of all," added Forest. "Everyone's going to love you. You may have been very popular in school, so maybe then you'd be popular all over the empire. Just think of the headlines on the newspaper!"

Jennifer said, "I've never been popular in school--not even in high school. But still, I'm glad to have slept 1,000 years to come to this position." She blew on her fist and whispered slyly, "Take that, Alton High bullies..."

Bert's ears instantly perked up. He said, "Alton...in Illinois? Hey! I know so much about that city. I've been there once!"

"Really?" asked Jennifer curiously.

Bert replied happily, "Yeah, about three times! Alton was the greatest city this side of the Missouri, next to St. Louis. But when the great firestorm of 2150 forced the humans to abandon it, I decided to replace it with a new kind of people--the Métis."

Jennifer gasped. She knew exactly who the Métis were. She stammered, "You mean...?"

"That's right. If you don't know who they are, they're--"

"I know! They're a race of people, of mixed European and Native American ancestry, originating in Canada. Mostly in the province of Manitoba."

"Of course. For many years, they've been displaced, discriminated against, and made fun of. But then, I came to the rescue, and took them from out of hiding and settled them into Alton, where they now call home. Their territory contains a large patch of land that surrounds the St. Louis area, including Alton. And they named it New Assiniboia, after their old ancestral homeland up north."

"And did they like it?"

"Yes. In fact, St. Louis was once a fort, where their fur trapper forefathers came to trade in their catches."

"I've always known that the Métis were humans just like I was. Do they still look the same today?"

"On the interior, yes--the exterior, no. By the time they settled into Alton, they were raccoons."

Jennifer was surprised. She said, "Huh? They were?"

"Countless generations of fleeing from persecution and exposure to a twisted kind of evolution reduced them to nothing but bright-eyed and bushy-tailed nocturnal creatures like me. But still, they retained sweet memories of a unique culture of their own."

"So, can I go there?"

Bert held up his paw, saying, "Hold it, Jen--you're not going to go there just yet. They don't know who you are, and they definitely don't know that you had woken up after 1,000 years to see the new world that you're standing in right now. But first, you'll need some police training...you're going to have a whole lot to do today."

Jennifer gulped. She's been ready to be a police officer. But is she ready to undergo the rigorous training? She has yet one day to find out for sure.


End file.
